Improvement in ploobing-clamps



Weisse-M- FRANCIS G. LAFAYETTE,

or MIDDLETOWN, OHIO.

Letters Patent No. 85,939, dated January I9, 1869.l

IMPROVEMENT 1N vILoc5RING-enfriars.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it trml/y conce/m Be it known that I, FRANCIS G. LAFAYETTE, of Middletown, in Butler county, in the State of Ohio, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Flooring-Clamps; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 represents aA side view of my improved clamp, kand e Figure 2 represents an edge view of the same.

The levers A B are connected together by the metal plates a, b, which may be loosely riveted or bolted, to serve as a hinge, on which the levers work in opening and closing them.

-as a hinge, upon which the double or bifurcated lever O willinove,for the purpose .hereinafter specified.

Lever C is provided with a pawl, s, w-hich works into the teeth of therack g, secured to the lever B, and a friction roll, h, is interposed between the two branches of lever C, as represented in rig.l l.

l D isa hingedclaw-brace, having its upper end hinged by a metal loop, i, to the stanchion E, .and the latter is securely fastened to the lever A, so as to form a iirrnV support for brace D.

The bent spring K is secured at its ends by bolts,

- shown in dotted lines in l, to the levers A and B.

' The metal plates a b, and the twobranches, x y, of.

lever C, are provided at their ends with Aa series of two or more holes, to permit the levers A and B to be adjusted toward .or from each other, so as to allow the grappling-irons c d to open with their levers,to take hold of a joist, whether two or three inches in thick- DeSS.

The clamp is represented in iig. l as being properly adjusted to suit'the thickness of a two-inch joist, but when the adjustment is 'made to set the jaws and grappling-irons to grasp a joist of three inches in thickness, the gauge-block H will be placed between the spring K and lever A.

The metal plates m n are secured upon levers A B, as wear-irons, against which the iiooring-boards will press when the Vclamp is in use. l

The loose end of stanchion E is formed in the arc of a circle on its upper edge, and the pin tis inserted above it in thelever B, to aid in' supporting it against the pressure upon brace D when being used to force a ilooriug-board up to its place in the floor of a' building. The pin u in the lever B serves as a stop to prevent the lever O from being forced below a horizontal line. The object of my invention is tofurnish an efficient implement, capable of convenient and rapid use, to form close joints in the laying of floorsin buildings.

'.lo use my flooring-clamp, the workman will remove pawl s from rack g, and throw up the handle, with. its lever O, and compress the upper ends of levers A B, thereby spreadime,` apart the grappling-irons c d, so as to embrace a joist, upon which the floor is being laid; then the attendant or Workman will force down the lever C', and the friction-roll h, working against the lever B, will cause the-grappling-irons c d to take iirinly hold ofthe joist.'` The pawl s will then take hold ofthe rackteeth, and retain the clamp in position ready for operation.

The position ofthe clamp will be such as represented in fig. 2, and that side to which the hinged clawbrace is attached is the rear side.

The dooring-board to be forced up, to be nailed to the joist, will be immediately in front of the levers A B, and its edge will be 'in contact with the wearirons'or plates @n n, and thereupon the workman will grasp the upper ends of the levers A B, while standing upon the flooring-board to be forced into place, and

will pull the levers A B toward him until the groove and tongue of the flooring-boards are pressed snugly to rether, to form a tight joint, and, at the same time,

the hinged claw-brace, which rests with its claw asti-ide i the joist upon which the clamp rests, and this claw-brace securely retains theclamp in place, holding the iiooring-board until nailed by the Workman.

The functions of spring K are to retain the levers in their longitudinal relation to each other, and to draw the upper ends of the levers A B toward eachother,

when lever O is raised up to release the grapplingirons c d from their hold upon the joist.

Having fully described my invention,

IVh'at I claim, and desire to secure by Letters `Patent, is v lhe combination oi'. levers A, B, and O, with stan- I chien E, adjustable plates and branches a b, x y, spring K, gauge-blockH, grappling-irons c d, and claw-brace D, connected, arranged, and operating in the manner 'and for the purpose substantially as described.`

, In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, this 12th day of May, A. D. 1868.

F. Gr. LAFAYETTE. Witnesses:

H. P. K. PEOR, S. E. PEOR. 

